A June Festivity 



a good run, as any huntsman about his hounds 

 and their achievements. 



The keeper who thoroughly knows and loves 

 his business — the terms are by no means 

 synonymous — for, as there are good hunt ser- 

 vants who are not good sportsmen,* so there are 

 good keepers who are not good sportsmen — 

 knows perfectly well that there can be a good 

 show of foxes and a good show of game at the 

 same time, and that hounds do little if indeed 



* There are many men who perform the duties of 

 their office skilfully and conscientiously and who 

 simply look upon it as a means of livelihood. I 

 have known hunt servants who, when they retired, 

 scarcely ever had a look at hounds; and keepers 

 who scarcely ever looked at a gun. One instance 

 of the former was a huntsman who both in that 

 capacity and as a first whipper-in distinguished 

 himself in more countries than one. When he was 

 hunting he was a famous man over a country, and 

 he was a good man in the kennel. I saw him 

 handle hounds well, and ride right up to them the 

 last season he hunted. I believe he went out once 

 afterwards. Yet he lived many years after his 

 retirement. It would perhaps scarcely be fair to 

 say of him that he was not a sportsman, for he 

 became an enthusiastic fisherman, I believe. And 

 his is not a solitary case. 



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